Design barcode labels with BarTender
The right software makes all the difference when printing your own barcode labels. BarTender Software enhances security, efficiency, and compliance across your labelling and barcoding processes — empowering you to design labels, generate barcodes, automate workflows, and much more.
Barcoding basics
Barcoding can feel overwhelming — and if done incorrectly, it can lead to costly operational, financial, and legal setbacks. That's why producing high-quality barcodes is essential to achieving 100% accuracy and maintaining traceability throughout your distribution process.
Getting the fundamentals right including — barcode size, colour, placement, and materials to print on — ensures your codes scan correctly first time, every time.
As a GS1 Strategic Alliance Partner, our expert team is trained and equiped to deliver fully compliant barcoding solutions.
Read our complete guide to creating GS1 compliant barcodes.
A new dimension in barcodes
The traditional one-dimensional (1D) barcode — such as EAN/UPC — has enabled retailers to supply product names and pricing information for decades. But the industry is now transitioning to two-dimensional (2D) barcodes, which can store significantly more data. As every business has unique systems and processes, the path to Sunrise 2027 will look different for each organisation.
Ready to get started? As a GS1 Alliance Partner, insignia’s experts can help prepare your business and scanning systems to adopt and accept 2D barcodes with confidence.
What is Sunrise 2027?
Global industry has set 2027 as the target year for all retail point-of-sale (POS) systems to be capable of scanning 2D barcodes — a milestone known as Sunrise 2027. Unlike traditional EAN/UPC barcodes (1D barcodes), which carry only the GTIN, two-dimensional (2D) barcodes can store a wealth of additional product, traceability and promotional information.
During the transition, many products will use a combination of the existing EAN/UPC barcode and an optional 2D code, as not all items require data beyond the GTIN. Importantly, 1D barcodes will continue to coexist for as long as industry has a use for them — the move to 2D barcodes is evolutionary, not mandatory, and is being driven by industry needs and benefits.
What is a 2D Barcode?
Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes are square or rectangular symbols made up of patterns such as squares, dots, hexagons, and other shapes that encode far more data than traditional 1D barcodes. Common examples include QR codes and Data Matrix codes, which most people encounter every day. These codes can store significantly more information and can be scanned using compatible barcode readers or even smartphone cameras.
Because scanning capability varies across devices, not all readers can interpret 2D barcodes. To help businesses identify equipment gaps, GS1 has introduced the GS1 US Barcode Capabilities Test Kits to support the transition.
A single 2D barcode can carry a substantial amount of data and often remains readable even at very small sizes or when laser-etched directly onto products. Their versatility makes them ideal for a wide range of industries — including grocery, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and healthcare.
1D vs 2D Barcodes
The difference between 1D and 2D barcodes starts with their appearance. Traditional 1D barcodes are made up of contrasting black and white vertical lines, whereas 2D barcodes use patterns of squares or dots. While both types serve specific functions, 1D barcodes have long supported basic price and product lookup at point-of-sale.
2D barcodes, however, can store far greater volumes of information — including detailed product data, traceability attributes, authentication details, and more. This expanded capability enhances inventory management, improves recall readiness, supports sustainability and ethical sourcing initiatives, strengthens product authentication, and builds greater brand trust.
It’s also important to distinguish between GS1 DataMatrix and DataMatrix barcodes. Although they look identical, a GS1 DataMatrix includes a special start sequence known as FNC1. This identifier signals to the scanner that the barcode follows GS1 standards and provides instructions on how the encoded data should be interpreted. If a system expects a GS1 DataMatrix but encounters a standard DataMatrix instead, the scanner will return an error.
